Today's XR Ecosystem is Built on Borrowed Time
The rapid pace of innovation is exciting, but it has created a fragile and unsustainable ecosystem. Perfectly functional hardware often becomes useless, not because it's broken, but because software support has disappeared.
Driver Rot & OS Updates
Your device shouldn't become a paperweight just because you updated your OS. When core software is replaced or versions change, legacy drivers often fail.
Walled Gardens
From license keys to unpolished drivers, the current closed-off approach creates friction and hinders pushing the space forward. Turning a greenfield into a dry patch.
E-Waste Nightmares
When companies end support for a product line, entire generations of hardware are rendered obsolete, creating a disaster for consumers and the environment.
A New Standard for Discovery & Communication
OpenPuck decouples the peripheral from its host. We propose a simple, powerful idea: peripherals should be immutable. An OpenPuck device ships with all the software it needs for tracking and processing built-in.
This divorced compute model enables what is called Puck Computing: the practice of offloading intensive processing from the wearable device to a dedicated, pocket-sized compute unit (a 'puck'). This allows for ultra-lightweight headsets, sleek AR glasses, and assistive AI devices without compromising on power or battery life.
Designed for Longevity, Privacy, and Efficiency
OpenPuck is not another driver or a complex runtime. It is a common language that focuses on hardware realities that will never change.
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A Universal Handshake
- A semantically versioned signalling protocol that supports the discovery, bring-up, and synchronized communication of multiple XR devices.
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Hardware-Focused
- Light enough for the most constrained hardware, yet shining on more powerful hardware. A simple firmware flash turns a smart phone panel and an STM32 into a VR headset.
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On-Device Processing & Privacy
- Sensitive biometric data is processed on-device, never sent raw. Promoting user data sovereignty and keeping private data private.
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Future-Proof by Design
- An device built or hacked to speak OpenPuck today will be usable by anyone who finds it in a decade, provided a compatible runtime is available.
How OpenPuck is Different
The complexity and fragmentation of the current market is a major headache, holding spatial computing back from mainstream adoption.
Drivers Hold Us Back
Existing runtimes often rely on host-side proprietary drivers. This ties hardware to specific software versions, contributing to the very e-waste and obsolescence OpenPuck solves by abstracting the peripheral's core logic away from the host machine.
Standalone Is Just That
Modern standalones often use general-purpose mobile hardware and rely on compressed video streaming for PC-VR. While portable and state of the art, standalone streaming can compromise visual fidelity, introduce latency, and create opaque data privacy practices. OpenPuck is designed for uncompromised data exchange.
A Win for the Entire Ecosystem
By fundamentally rethinking the hardware-software relationship, OpenPuck creates value for consumers, developers, and corporations alike.
For Consumers & The Community
- check_circleMainstream Ready: By removing technical headaches and ensuring hardware 'just works,' OpenPuck makes XR approachable for a wider audience.
- check_circleEnd E-Waste: Maximize the lifespan of your peripherals. Good hardware shouldn't be disposable.
- check_circleUse What You Love, Longer: Keep using that comfortable headset or your favorite pair of smart glasses.
- check_circleEnable New Form Factors: Pave the way for lighter, more comfortable hardware across the entire XR spectrum.
For Hardware Manufacturers
- check_circleReduce Maintenance Burden: Ship your device and you're done. Update as you see fit! No more updating old drivers for new OS versions.
- check_circleUnlock New Markets: Seamlessly support everything from high-end VR to lightweight enterprise AR glasses with a single, unified standard.
- check_circleFocus on Your Special Sauce: With the baseline handled by a universal standard, dedicate your resources to what makes your offering unique.
- check_circleGet Certified: Achieve OpenPuck compliance to signal to customers that your hardware is built to last.
Help Us Build the Future
OpenPuck is an open standard, and its success depends on a strong community of builders and innovators. Join us in building a future where XR is no longer a niche hobby, but a seamless part of everyday life.
Our Vision
OpenPuck was born from a simple observation: the current state of XR hardware is unsustainable and anti-consumer. While we admire the work done by many in the industry, the fundamental architecture needs to evolve.
PlatinumVsReality
Lead Architect
We believe that separating device logic from high-level runtimes is the critical next step for the industry. This isn't just a theory; we are actively developing example implementations to prove the viability of this standard.
By making all kinds of spatial hardware last longer, we create a more mature, pro-consumer, and environmentally sustainable future for XR.